The EOS R series emerged a couple years ago in response to Sony’s full frame cameras, which trend favorably in the industry. Across the United States people have been pawing to get their hands on these cameras. And here’s why.
Why Mirrorless?
If you haven’t tried a mirrorless camera yet, you should stop by and get your hands on one! Regardless of which brand you pick up, you’ll realize right away that handling a mirrorless camera comes with a faster shooting experience and the benefits of live exposure are quite appealing. With the removal of the mirror box, it enables the cameras to be smaller and more compact, and be paired with smaller lenses, which means you can take more with you. The lens mount and flange distance of mirrorless enables a lens design that is sharper, with fewer distortions.
But, what’s the catch? You might be wondering, what the downsides are to going with Canon Mirrorless. Without getting too far into the details, you’re usually looking at shorter battery life and either adapting your current lenses or choosing from a rather small, but growing, selection of RF Lenses.
The Beginning of the EOS R Series
The original EOS R, which is still in production at its lowest prices ever, was Canon’s first shot at the full frame market and went over quite well. By not having a mirror blocking the sensor, it enables more accurate and consistent autofocus technology (now integrated into the camera’s sensor) and the capability of shooting more frames per second. The EOS R has fast autofocus and super fine detail. The EOS R is everything you would expect, and like, about a mirrorless camera but with Canon’s color accuracy.
The major complaints about this new line of camera, included the single card slot, new ergonomics, and video capabilities. Many professional photographers will not purchase a camera if it only has a single card slot because rather than capturing two copies of the images or footage, you're only capturing one, so there's an increased likelihood of losing photos or videos. The ergonomics of these mirrorless cameras are new, and experienced shooters have to retrain their muscle memory to quickly make setting adjustments. And lastly, many people also knocked the camera for not matching the video capabilities you could find in similarly priced cameras from other brands, which was true. While each of these criticisms are legitimate and important, Canon has addressed most of these issues in their latest iteration of cameras with the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6.
At the same time that Canon released the EOS R, they came out with the EOS RP – the smaller, more affordable version of the EOS R. The Canon EOS RP has the quality you would expect from a Canon camera but at the expense of some of the bells and whistles that come with the shooting experience of the more expensive EOS R. The EOS RP doesn’t have a top LCD screen and many of the settings aren’t as accessible. In my experience, after using both cameras, the act of taking pictures was less satisfying on the RP. It’s not as quick as the EOS R and if you frequently navigating the menu system, autofocus options and other custom features this camera may seem more cumbersome as it was designed for users who prefer automatic modes.
2020 New Releases
Flash Forward to 2020 – Canon releases the EOS R6 and EOS R5 and oh boy are they impressive. After shooting the EOS R for a year and picking up the EOS R6 I’m blown away. The EOS R6 has the sensor of the 1DX III in a smaller mirrorless body. Although it’s only 20mp, the dynamic range is incredible, I’m in love with the jpegs, and the file sizes are perfect for my workflow! While the EOS R6 is a bit larger than I would typically go for in a mirrorless camera, being as I’m a 5ft woman with a small camera bag and even smaller hands, it is now my go to camera for production. The EOS R5 has a brand new 45mp sensor, with superior image quality this camera is perfect for pro shooters doing landscapes, wedding, portrait and events. Unfortunately, Canon’s EOS R series still isn’t quite the hybrid video & still camera they set out to provide to their end users. The EOS R6 & R5 have noteworthy video capabilities, including 8K @30p, but some have experienced overheating when using these cameras as dedicated video cameras. These cameras are perfect for pro shooters who occasionally shoot video rather than a videographer who occasionally shoots stills.
Why We Recommend Canon Mirrorless:
If you’re asking why customers would still choose Canon or why we recommend it in many cases, it’s because of the ergonomics, the look and feel of the camera, the way the sensor resolves color, and the menu system. Or simply just because you’ve been a Canon shooter historically and love the brand. There are many attributes that don’t neatly fit into a comparison chart and that’s why we love to get cameras in peoples’ hands.
These cameras are hard to find, but you can see them on display in our shop, rent them from us 7 days a week and as an authorized Canon dealer we’ve got the hook up on purchasing yours today.